The existing system is my competition, the lesson is to frame an alternative policy: Suresh Prabhu

Suresh Prabhu, railway minister

Claim to fame

A chartered accountant-turned politician who was first elected member of Parliament in 1996, and who a year ago quit Shiv Sena to join BJP and become railway minister

The lesson

I don't look at any individual as my competitor. But, very often, an existing system becomes your main competitor. The challenge does not come from any individual. The system itself becomes your competition. In the Railways, I have studied the existing system and decided to move ahead with an alternative policy. It's like this: I pursue a path; someone else pursues another path. That's why we are competitors. In economic parlance, the competition is all about acquiring market share.

Earlier in railways, every tender proposal was coming to the minister for clearance. And that's where (the railway) minister drew his powers from. I have dispensed with that power completely. Now, no file regarding tenders comes to my desk. My competition was centralised tendering. My answer to it is no tendering at the minister's level. The lesson I learnt was that I can't replicate the same system, but can choose an alternative.

Not just in tendering, there was centralisation in every decision-making process earlier. I have delegated almost all decision-making powers to officers at the level of general managers. The lesson I learnt was that I would succeed if I decentralise the processes.

Earlier, one (the minister) dealt with personal issues such as transfers, postings, promotions. I have decided not to handle any such matters. These are now addressed in a transparent process.

(As told to Shantanu Nandan Sharma)